Firearms: 3D Printing

(asked on 7th January 2026) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many firearms offences have been committed with 3D-printed guns in each of the last five years.


Answered by
Sarah Jones Portrait
Sarah Jones
Minister of State (Home Office)
This question was answered on 15th January 2026

Offences involving the use of 3D printed firearms offences are not recorded separately within the crime statistics published by the Office for National Statistics. A firearm manufactured using 3D printing technology is regarded as a firearm under the Firearms Act 1968 and the controls set out in that Act apply. The overall number of offences involving firearms offences decreased by 16%, to 5,053 offences in the year ending June 2025 compared to the year ending June 2024.

The Government works closely with the police and the National Crime Agency to ensure that we have the right laws, intelligence, detection and enforcement capabilities to tackle the threat posed by the unlawful possession and use of firearms, including firearms manufactured in full, or in part, using 3D printing technology. This includes the measures in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 which, when commenced, will make it an offence to possess or supply templates for the 3D printing of firearms.

Reticulating Splines